House Yronwood

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House Yronwood of Yronwood
YronwoodCoA.png
We Guard the Way
Coat of arms Or, a portcullis sable
Seat Yronwood
Head Lord Anders Yronwood
Region Dorne
Titles
Heir Gwyneth Yronwood
Overlord House Martell
Lord Anders Yronwood's Honor Guard – by Tomasz Jedruszek. © Fantasy Flight Games
Lord Yronwood's Spears – by Tomasz Jedruszek. © Fantasy Flight Games

House Yronwood of Yronwood is the most powerful house in Dorne after the Martells.[1] Yronwood Castle is the last fortress defending the Boneway; this is reflected in their title Warden of the Stone Way.[1] The Yronwoods were kings in Dorne before the arrival of the Rhoynar; the head of the house continues to hold the title The Bloodroyal.

According to semi-canon sources, their motto is We Guard the Way.[2] Their blazon is a black portcullis grill over sand.[3] The Yronwoods often have blond hair and blue eyes.[4]

History

House Yronwood is an ancient family who once ruled half of Dorne as the Kings of Yronwood, with domains significantly greater than House Martell of Sunspear, a fact the Yronwoods let no one forget.[5] House Yronwood established Yronwood in the high valleys and green foothills below the peaks and seized control of the Stone Way, the second of the two great passes into Dorne. Well protected and comparably fertile, their lands were also well timbered and possessed of valuable deposits of iron, tin, and silver, making them the richest and most powerful of the Dornish kings. The Yronwood domain reached from Wyl to the headwaters of the Greenblood,[6] and, at times, even the Sandship of House Martell.[7]

The ancient Yronwood kings oft fought with the Storm Kings, as seen when Yoren Yronwood was turned back by King Durran the Young at the Battle by the Bloody Pool.[8] King Olyvar Yronwood also invaded King Erich VII Durrandon's domain.[9]

When the Rhoynar came to Dorne with Nymeria aboard her ten thousand ships, they joined House Martell, increasing the size of Lord Mors Martell's host tenfold.[10]. Nymeria married Mors and named herself and her husband the Prince and Princess of Dorne, asserting their dominion over all of Dorne in the ensuing Nymeria's War. King Yorick V Yronwood was supported by his bannermen, Houses Jordayne, Wyl, Blackmont, Qorgyle, amongst many others. In the ninth year of warfare Mors died at Yorick's sword in the Third Battle of the Boneway. Nymeria took control of the Martell armies, however, and it took another two years of fighting before Yorick bent the knee and was sent to the Wall.[10] The Yronwoods became the most powerful bannermen of House Nymeros Martell, though their relationship is uneasy at best.[11] The Yronwoods also have a rivalry with House Fowler, who supported the Martells in the war.[1]

The Yronwoods joined Bittersteel against the Targaryens and Martells in three of the five Blackfyre Rebellions, even though one of the original goals of the rebels was to remove the Dornish influence at court.[12]

When Oberyn Martell was no older than sixteen, he was found abed with old Lord Edgar Yronwood's paramour and they fought a duel. Although it was only to first blood, Edgar's wounds festered and he died shortly afterwards, originating rumors that the Red Viper's blade had been poisoned. Oberyn fled to the Free Cities in exile. To "repay a blood debt", Prince Doran Martell later sent his second child, Quentyn Martell, to foster with Edgar's grandson, Lord Anders Yronwood.[5] Quentyn was sent more than 10 years after the incident. Quentyn served at Yronwood as page and squire. He chose to be knighted by Anders himself instead of his uncle, Oberyn.[12]

Recent Events

A Feast for Crows

Following Doran's instructions, Lord Anders musters and maintains an army in the Boneway during the War of the Five Kings.[13] Anders delays Ser Balon Swann at Yronwood by feasting him for a fortnight.[1]

A Dance with Dragons

Ser Cletus Yronwood and Ser Archibald Yronwood accompany Quentyn Martell in his mission to find Daenerys Targaryen in Essos. Since his son and his cousin are traveling with Quentyn to Essos, with all probability Lord Anders has been entrusted by Doran Martell with the critical secret of his support for the Targaryen restoration. Cletus, the heir of House Yronwood, is killed by corsairs, but Archibald arrives in Meereen.

House Yronwood at the end of the third century

The known Yronwoods during the timespan of the events described in A Song of Ice and Fire are:


 
 
 
 
 
 
Edgar
 
Unknown
wife
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ormond
 
Unknown
wife
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anders
 
Unknown
wife
 
Son
 
Unknown
wife
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ryon
Allyrion
 
Ynys
 
Cletus
 
Gwyneth
 
Archibald
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Two sons
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Historical Yronwoods

Houses Sworn to House Yronwood

Arms unknown House Drinkwater.

References and Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 40, Princess In The Tower.
  2. The Citadel. House Mottoes
  3. The Citadel. Heraldry: Houses from Dorne
  4. A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 6, The Merchant's Man.
  5. 5.0 5.1 The Winds of Winter, Chapter , Arianne.
  6. The World of Ice & Fire, Kingdoms of the First Men.
  7. The World of Ice & Fire, The Andals Arrive.
  8. 8.0 8.1 The World of Ice & Fire, House Durrandon.
  9. 9.0 9.1 The World of Ice & Fire, Andals in the Stormlands.
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 The World of Ice & Fire, Ten Thousand Ships.
  11. 11.0 11.1 The World of Ice & Fire, The Coming of the Rhoynar.
  12. 12.0 12.1 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 13, The Soiled Knight.
  13. A Feast for Crows, Chapter 2, The Captain Of Guards.